Not bad for a lad from Tinsley who learned his trade at Saltergate" says Gordon, who was born at Ferrars Road, Tinsley, Sheffield in 1937, the son of a steelworker and the youngest of four brothers, the others being David, Michael and John.

"John, the eldest, who was disabled, was always refered to as "˜Our Jack', recalls Gordon, "a term of endearment that was a source of bewilderment to me as a small boy and I couldn't fathom it's logic. `Our Jack has eaten all his cabbage', Mam would say, as if we might have confused him with another Jack".

The young Gordon had three childhood passions; football, train-spotting and the cinema. Football was always foremost, and he played in goal for Tinsley County School and later for Sheffield Schoolboys.

"Our school was next to the Tinsley Railway Sheds, where up to fifty steam engines were housed and serviced, recalls Gordon, "they were belching muck and steam out in competition with the grime from Steel, Peach & Towser's steelworks at the end of our road. The phrase `go outside and get some fresh air' was never heard from the teachers at my school!

Gordon recalls that Friday night was bath night in the Banks household: "We had a tin bath which Dad would fill with kettles of hot water. It was placed in front of the kitchen fire every Friday night and Dad would go first, then Our Jack, David and Michael and last of all me, he chuckles, "sometimes I think I came out dirtier than I went in!".

In the early 1950's the family moved to Catcliffe and Mr. Banks senior opened a betting-shop. "It was illegal at the time, says Gordon, "but the extra money and increased standard of living compensated for the occasional court appearance and £40 fine"! The shop did well, but it also brought tragedy to the family.

Gordon explains: "One day Our Jack was going home with the takings when, despite his disability, he was badly beaten up and robbed by two men. He spent weeks in hospital, but never recovered and sadly died from his injuries". The attackers were caught and got long sentences; "but that was no compensation, says Gordon, the family was devastated. I grieved for months, mourned for years, and still miss him to this day".

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I remember watching This is Your Life with Gordon Banks many years ago, I'm sure he was born on Fredrick rd in Abbeydale, The reason this sticks in my mind even though I was only about 12, 13 at the time is because my gran lived on this rd and we were all gob smacked as they shown a picture of the actual house, a terrace which we recognised as the one opposite my grans house.Hope this helps with your research.

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The birth certificate arrived earlier than was promised, and so I now have the details; shaznay was (almost) right. Gordon Banks was born on 30 December 1937 at 15 Arthur Road, in the "Sheffield South West" sub-district. The houses have long been demolished but Arthur Road and Frederick Road were adjacent cul-de-sacs off Abbeydale Road, near the picture palace (Frederick Road is still on the map but Arthur Road isn't). So perhaps the Banks family moved to Tinsley when Gordon was very young, so that he didn't remember living at Abbeydale and regarded himself as being "from Tinsley".

Anyway, the birth certificate is the ultimate reference source – Gordon Banks is a Sheffield lad and was born on Arthur Road.

In case it's of interest, Gordon's father was Thomas Banks, a "general labourer" and his mother Nellie Banks, formerly Yates.

If anyone would like to see the birth certificate, PM me an email address and I'll send a JPEG scan.